How To Survive a Hectic Day at Work (and Meeting Deadlines)

Every weekend, we wake to the scent of strong black coffee while attempting to dress up, half-asleep and sleepy.

You’re off to work.

Regardless if you enjoy your job or not, days in the office can be extremely hectic, especially if you’re chasing deadlines and trying to get work done. The paperwork on your desk is a responsibility you cannot run away from, considering that clearing the pile the main reason why you’re getting a paycheck, enabling you to pay the bills and live.

Surviving a hectic day in the office will take a lot of effort and require you to exponentially increase your mental toughness.

So, if you’re swamped with a ton of work and pressured to finish them soon, here are some tips to help you do so:

Get Enough Sleep

Your day in the office doesn’t start the morning you wake up: it starts before you go to bed the previous night. If you’re bound to experience a manic Monday or a frantic Friday, be sure to curl up under the covers and have enough time to wander around dreamland.

Ditch your digital devices, turn off the TV and give your mind and eyes a break – get a shut-eye for at least eight hours, and you’ll wake up well-rested and ready to face the arduous mountain of tasks ahead. If you’re used to only getting four to six hours of sleep, note the difference once you get more than eight!

Put Your “Game Face” On

Before sitting on your work desk, slap yourself in the cheeks and mentally shout “LET’S DO THIS!”

Jokes aside, lacking or having the motivation to work is all in the mind. It takes a mind programmed to finish work to actually get things done. If you give in to the stress, pressure and fatigue, you’ll end up falling short of your targets and quotas.

Create a list of achievable “goals for the day” and possess the determination – or feign it – to finish your work. Remember, if the mind gives in, the body won’t be able to accomplish anything!

Be Disciplined, be Focused

Two of the qualities we covet and fail to attain are discipline and focus, especially when it comes to work.

Even if it’s just for a day, get rid of any distractions, have tunnel vision, and discipline yourself to ignore matters unrelated to labor. Focus solely on the tasks ahead: ignore what people are saying on social media, avoid the urge to check your personal e-mail inbox, and don’t let your mind wander elsewhere. Only look at the pile of paperwork on your desk, smile, and start working.

Once you get into the zone, you’ll be surprised at how your hands move on its own, and how your mind comes up with the words to write about.

Do not think about what you’re going to do after your shift ends. Focus on drilling past the boulder in front of you, and don’t think about the rewards behind it.

Design Your Work Desk

A number of employees beautify their work desks by placing decorations such as laced mats, flowers, dangling toys and even framed portraits of their family members. Though this makes your work desk seem a little bit like home, certain decorations can become a distraction. For example, would you get any work done if you glanced at a portrait of your wife and child on your desk?

Work is work, and you should only place work-related elements and anything which can help spur creativity on your work table. Remember, you need to focus and at the same time, keep your mind active and sharpened, like how a whetstone affects a sword.

If you’re responsible for the overall design of your office, bear in mind that you’re doing it for the employees, not for yourself or your clients. Be sure that it’s not dull and boring, and remember that office interior designers are a good investment!

Mikhail Blacer is a sports junkie and the current sports editor of Scoopfed, an online magazine. He also works part time as a peer counselor in his locality. Strike up a conversation with him through his e-mail (mikhailblacer@scoopfed.com) and via Twitter.